Paper-making machine.



W. H. MILLSPAUGH.

PAPER MAKING HINE.

APPLICATION FILED .1'3,\912.

1,163,254, Patented Dec. 7, 1915.

are,

WILLIAM H. MILLSPAUG-H, 0F SANDUSKY, OHIO.

PAPER-MAKING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. "F, 1915.

Application filed March 13, 1912, Serial No. 683,515.

2' '0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. MILLS- PAUGH, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Sandusky, in the county of Erie and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Paper-Making Machines, of which the following is a specification.

In the manufacture of paper on a typical Fourdrinier machine having the usual couches and press rolls, the sheet is subjected to severe pressure tending to crush and distend it, the process being practically one of repeatedly squeezing out water until the sheet is in condition for delivery to the steam driers; and as the'water is expressed by the press rolls it forms a puddle at the bite or point of contact of the rolls, so that relatively dry paper is running into this puddle, putting the sheet in a mushy state before passing through the bite of the rolls. These and other causes, as the ,tendency of the sheet to cling to the surface of the rolls, result in more or less frequent breaks in the web, with consequent trouble, delay and expense. Moreover, as the sheet cannot be safely handled through the couches or through the presses above certain speeds, the rate of production is accordingly limited.

The'object of my invention is to obviate the above-mentioned difiiculties and to provide a paper machine of such etficiency as will permit the manufacture of paper in a continuous web or sheet at high speeds without breaks, or at least with much less danger of breaks, and also by a more efiicient as well as economical method, obtaining more uniform and thorough drying, which leaves less moisture to be evaporated by the driers and results in improvement in the character andappearance of the product.

My invention also accomplishes a material simplification of machinery, notably in the elimination of elaborate press felt equipment, and also reduction in cost and labor and trouble of operation and maintenance. An ordinary Fourdrinier paper machine may be described as comprising three sections; first the wet section, including the making wire on which the paper pulp is molded or formed into a wet web or sheet; secondly the press section, which usually comprises first, second and third presses and a corresponding number of press felts, with tensioning and guiding systems and cleansing devices, or at least felts for the first and second presses, which serve not only to support the sheet as it is carried through the press rol'ls but also to absorb moisture after the manner of a sponge; and then the drying section, consisting of a serles of steam-charged rolls. My present inventlon practically eliminates the press section, so far as the felts and accessories are concerned, by the substitution of a series of suction and press rolls, as hereinafter described.

The accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification, is a diagrammatic illustration of a paper machine embodying my invention, in What I now consider the preferred form thereof.

The invention will be hereinafter described with reference to said drawing, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

As will be seen from the drawing, the web or sheet of paper is molded or formed on a making wire 1 which at its delivery end passes over a revolving suction roll 2 taking the place of the once-customary couch rolls, as explained in my pending application for patent filed October 7, 1910, Serial No. 521,535; said suction roll being adapted to maintain vacuum or suction on a portion of its cylindrical surface, traversed by the sheet, and being preferably connected to a pump (not shown) of the character described in my aforesaid application, that is, a positive rotary suction pump adapted to maintain a substantially constant vacuum while handling large volumes ofair and water, so as to force air in large volume uniformly through the sheet.

From the making wire the sheet is taken by hand or mechanically, being preferably blown off by a blast pipe inside the roll 2, and is deposited upon a jacketed suction roll 3, the jacket or covering of which may be of any appropriate porous material, including felt or cloth, coacting with suction roll 3 is another suction roll 4 similarly jacketed, andhaving a reverse direction of rotation, as indicated by the arrows which are applied to the several rolls in the drawing to indicate their directions of rotation. The suction roll 3 has its vacuum area 3 arranged in advance of the point of contact between rolls 3 and 4; while'the suction roll 4 has its vacuum area 4 arranged at the opposite side of the point of contact, whereby the sheet as it passes between the rolls is caused to be transferred from roll 3 to roll 4, being sucked on the latter by the vacuum at l. By this arrangement the sheet in traveling over or in contact with and between rolls 3 and 4: is subjected to the action of vacuum successively on opposite sides.

In contact and coacting with the suction roll A is a press roll 5, preferably rubber covered; and the suction roll 4 may have another vacuum area l on the side of the bite between the rolls which is approached by the sheet in transit, whereby the sheet is again subjected to vacuum. Preferably there is another press roll 6 coacting with roll 5. Said roll 6 may be of rubber, stone, wood or composition. After passing through the bite of rolls 4: and 5 there is no tendency of the sheet to adhere to roll 4, and it is picked up by the soft roll 5 and carried around said roll, passing thence between rolls 5 and 6, and is then passed on for delivery to the driers.

The system may be varied by increasing the number of jacketed suction rolls cooperating to eifect transfer of the sheet from one to another as illustrated, as well as by varying the number of press rolls or adding other rolls for smoothing purposes. Suction rolls of any suitable type may be employed, for instance such a roll as illustrated in my reissued Patent No. 13,100, dated April 12, 1910. The drawings represent suction boxes in a modified roll of the special construction shown in my aforesaid copending application, Serial No. 521,535, which of course provide the stationary vacuum areas hereinbefore referred to.

The suction boxes in the rolls 3 and 4: are preferably connected to a positive rotary suction pump or pumps, as in the case of roll 2, so as to secure the effect of uniform suction of air through the fast running sheet, and uniform extraction of moisture from all portions of the sheet; but the degree of vacuum in these rolls, as also in the roll 2,

may be variedas required by conditions, or

by the character of the paper being made or the nature and consistency of the pulp stock from which it is produced; thus in making heavy papers from coarse stock it may be desirable or necessary to apply as heavy a suction or vacuum as possible at all the rolls, in order to withdraw eifectively the expressible moisture from the sheet; but in making tissues and light weight papers, as ordinary newspaper, it will be expedient to reduce the vacuum in rolls 3 and 4, especially if a high vacuum is applied at roll 2.

I do not wish to confine myself to the use of a positive rotary pump or pumps, as the machine hereinv disclosed would be advantageous with reciprocating pumps or other suction apparatus, but the type of pump mentioned is preferred.

It will be observed that after the sheet is depositedupon the suction roll 3 the action of the machine is entirely automatic in carrying the sheet through the series of suction and press rolls for delivery to the driers, and no breaks of the paper can likely occur, so that the machine can safely be run at high speed, or as fast as it can be produced in a continuous web on the endless making wire. As the sheet is relieved from the crushing effects of couches and the usual presses, from being run into puddles, and from the ordinary attractive influence of press roll surfaces, it will be seen that the liability of breaks in the web is reduced to a minimum by eliminating the causes therefor. Wire and felt impressions are also avoided, and the sheet is more advantageously treated and eflectively dried than by squeezing out water by mechanical compression through the ordinary press rolls heretofore employed, leaving less moisture to be evaporated by the driers, which allows for the use of exhaust steam. or relatively low pressure steam for operating the driers, with consequent saving in fuel; besides reducing the quantity of evaporated moisture to be dispelled from the room. The advantages incident to elimination of the elaborate press felt equipment, reducing the cost of maintenance, the time and trouble of renewing felts, etc., and avoiding felt Washing or cleansing, will of course be obvious.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

tion which receives the sheet therefrom and through which it is continuously passed, said second section comprising a series of revolving rolls in contact with one another and adjacent ones of which have opposite directions of rotation, the first roll of said series being a suction roll, and coacting with the second roll of the series to effect transfer of the sheet therefrom to said second roll.

3. In a'paper machine, the combination with a wet section on which paper is formed in a continuous web or sheet, of a second sec tion which receives the sheet'therefrom and through which it is continuously passed, said second section comprising a series of revolvingrolls in contact with one another and adjacent ones of which have opposite directions of rotation, the first pair of said rolls being suction rolls, having their vacuum areas respectively at opposite sides of the point of contact between the rolls, whereby vacuum is successively applied to opposite sides of the sheet and the second roll is also enabled to suck the sheet fro-m the first roll.

at. In a paper machine, the combination with a wet section on which paper is formed in a continuous web or sheet, of a second section which receives the sheet therefrom and through which it is continuously passed, said second section comprising a series of revolving rolls in contact with one another and adjacent ones of which have opposite directions of rotation, said series including both contacting suction and contacting press rolls, the latter arranged and operating subsequent to the suction, whereby the sheet is dried by vacuum and pressure Without the aid of traveling press felts.

5. In a paper machine, the combination with a wet section on which paper is formed in a continuous web or sheet, of a second section which receives the sheet therefrom and through which it is continuously passed, said secondsection comprising a series of revolving rolls in contact with one another and adjacent ones of which have opposite directions of rotation, the first pair of said rolls being suction rolls, and the last pair coacting press rolls.

6. In a paper machine, the combination with a wet section on which paper is formed in a continuous web or sheet, of a second section which receives the sheet therefrom and through which it is continuously passed, said second section comprising a series of revolving rolls in contact with one another and adjacent ones of which hax e opposite directions or rotation. the first and second rolls being suction rolls having vacuum areas respectively in advance of and beyond the point of contact between said rolls, and the said second roll also having a vacuum area in advance of its point of contact with the third roll.

7. In a paper machine, the combination with means for forming paper in a continuous web or sheet, of oppositely revolving suction rolls in contact with the vacuum areas of which the sheet is successively passed, said rolls being arranged so that one sucks off the sheet from the other.

8. In a paper machine, the combination with means for forming paper in a continuous web or sheet, of suction rolls revolving oppositely in contact and between which the sheet is passed, said rolls having their vacuum areas respectively at opposite sides of the point of contact between them, one roll being arranged to receive the sheet from the sheet-forming means and the other to suck oif the sheet therefrom.

9. In a paper machine, the combination with means for forming paper in a continusuction rolls between which the sheet is passed, said rolls having vacuum acreas successively traversed by the sheet and so arranged that the sheet is sucked off from one roll to the other, and a press roll coacting with the latter suction roll which also has a vacuum area in advance of its point of con tact with said press roll.

10. In a paper machine, the combination with means for forming paper in a continuous web or sheet, of oppositely revolving suction rolls between which the sheet is passed, said rolls having vacuum areas successively traversed by the sheet and so arranged that the sheet is sucked off from one roll to the other, and coacting press rolls one of which also coacts with the latter suction roll and takes up the sheet therefrom.

11. In a paper machine, the combination of a traveling porous medium on which paper pulp is molded into a web or sheet, a suction roll around which it passes, and other oppositely revolving suction rolls the first of which receives the sheet from said medium and the second sucks off the sheet from the first.

12. In a paper machine, the combination of a traveling porous medium on which paper pulp is molded into a web or sheet, a suction roll around which it passes, and a series of revolving rolls in contact one with another and adjacent ones of which have opposite directions of rotation, the first roll of said series being a suction roll upon which the sheet is taken from said medium.

13. In a paper machine, the combination of a traveling porous medium on which paper pulp is molded into a web or sheet, a suction roll around which it passes, other oppositely revolving suction rolls the first of which receives the sheet from said medium and the second sucks off the sheet from the first, and coacting press rolls through which the sheet is subsequently passed.

14. In a paper making machine, the combination with a making wire on which paper pulp forms into a sheet or layer, of a suction roll at the delivery end of the wire, and oppositely revolving suction rolls beyond the wire in contact with one another and having their vacuum areas respectively at opposite sides of the point of contact between them, the sheet being delivered from the wire upon one of such rolls and being sucked thereupon upon the other roll.

15. In a paper making machine, the combination with a making wire on which paper pulp forms into a sheet or layer, of a'suction roll at the delivery end of the wire, and oppositely revolving suction rolls beyond the wire one of which receives the sheet from said wire and the other sucks off the sheet therefrom, and coacting press rolls through which the sheet is subsequently passed.

'16. In a paper making machine, the combination with a making wire on which paper pulp forms into a sheet or layer, of a suction roll at the delivery; end of the wire, and oppositely revolving suction rolls beyond the wire one of which receives the sheet from said wire and the other sucks off the sheet therefrom, and coacting press rolls through which the sheet is subsequently passed, one

of which press rolls coacts With the last suc-- tion roll and takes the sheet therefrom.

in a continuous web or'sheet, of a second section through which the sheet is passed 15 ing a suction r011 provided with means for 20 applying vacuum to the sheet.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature, in presence of two witnesses WILLIAM H. 'MILLSPAUGH.

Witnesses WV. J. BENTEL, CLARA L. MIEHLE. 

